Kidnapped
by songonthewind
Summary: Once Lily and James learn of the prophecy they proceed to make some plans of their own for their beloved son, only, they will be keeping Dumbledore out of the loop. What will he do when his golden boy shows up at Hogwarts years later? full summary inside.
1. The Night the World Came Crashing Down

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_Summary: After learning of the prophecy, Lily and James want to ensure that their son grows up as best as he can, under the circumstances. They begin a complicated plan with a few close friends and do their best to keep it a secret from the seemingly all-knowing headmaster. Molly gets involved and when the time for school rolls around Albus Dumbledore is missing two students: Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. Years later when in need of a new Defense teacher, the two missing students suddenly show up and neither is what the Headmaster expected._

_Please keep in mind this story is rated 'M", I've also never actually written anything before, so bear with me, if it's terrible please tell me or give me some tips or something. Also, I'm a rather slow updater, but I will keep this up, assuming ppl want me to anyway. Lastly, this is under the c catagories of adventure/romance, I'd also like to add tragedy and action, plus AU. Oh, one more thing, I have nothing against Dumbledore, but what happens is essential to the plot for now, the entire story is not planned out to be anti-Dumbledore. Thanks and I hope you enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: No copyright intended, I do not own any of the Harry Potter universe, it all belongs to JK Rowling, I just get to play around with it. _

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__Summer 1981_

It was an unusual night for the people of Godrics Hollow. Outside pouring rain rattled the cobblestones and lightning flashes snuck up and jerked the inhabitants from their sleep. One, two, three seconds and then the full wrath of the storm slapped the town in thunder. Down a seemingly dark, abandoned street sat a cozy looking cottage surrounded by a small garden with puffs of smoke coming out of the chimney. The little house was only visible to a few people, however, and was quite a change of scenery in the rest of the street. Inside said house, sat a young couple in their kitchen and an infant boy sitting, happily in his highchair.

Giggling, he clapped his hands together and said, "Juice!"

"No, Harry, no juice right now. It's time for night-night," a petite young woman with vibrant, red hair told the child.

"Juice!" he repeated.

James, a young man with glasses and messy, coal black hair smiled down sadly at the youngster, before lifting him out of the seat and handing him off to his mother.

"G'night son," James said and kissed the boy's forehead. Lily, the young woman, smiled at her husband and took the child up the stairs towards the Nursery while singing a lullaby. James sank into the couch in the living room. He was exhausted from the pressure of the day and desperately needed to relax. Listening to the harsh wind whistling outside and against the windows, begging to be let in, only increased his worry and the sense of a foreboding evil just on the horizon, just out of sight. This war had been raging on for years now, and it was beginning to take its toll on many and people began to lose hope. Thinking back to his early Hogwarts days James remembered when Voldemort had been little more than a simple threat. The man had been another name in the crowd, slowly but surely though, he had gained his 

power and now he threatened to destroy their world. James remembered the simple way things had been back then and he missed them.

He and his group of friends had heard rumors of a coming war and had been excited by the prospect. They longed for adventure and a meaning in the world that went deeper than a desk at the Ministry. They wanted a place in it and to be seen and looked up to.

Little had they known then. They had never even stopped to consider the meaning of the word war. They hadn't realized the innocent lives that would be taken and all the blood to be shed. Soon after graduation, they had joined the Auror squad together under Alastair Moody and to their delight, made it through the training with honors.

Then it began: things took a turn for the worse and the world suddenly grew darker. Before they knew it they were no longer the innocent, fun loving group that had applied for Auror training, they had been sent to battle and it was in battle that James had seen people die. Friends and co-workers had been slaughtered before his eyes and it was only then that they all began to realize the seriousness of the situation.

It wasn't an adventure, it was far from it. Along with this loss of innocence they had all returned to the Ministry with a new idea in mind. If this was the way things were going to be, then James sure as hell wasn't going to make it easy for Voldemort. James was going to give him hell before he went and he wasn't going to go quietly.

Time wore on and both himself and Sirius had become recognized as good, well-trained Aurors and were soon being handed out more difficult tasks and complicated missions. As a result of their determined attitude they grew in the knowledge of war and curses and how to defend themselves and on one of these such missions, it happened that James first took the life of a man. He didn't know the man's name or if he'd had a family or any information about him other than the guy carried the Dark Mark and he'd nearly killed Sirius. So it was with great regret that James had cast a bone-breaking curse which proceeded to hit the man in the neck, snapping it and killing him instantly.

And so James lost himself in thought and memories of the past, he didn't know how long he sat there, but he looked up to the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

He smiled when he saw Lily float down the stairs and walk over to him. The smile quickly faded to a look of concern as she buried her face in his shoulder and proceeded to cry. James' eyes clouded over and he got a far off look in them as he thought of the cause for his wife's grief. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her tightly and whispered words of comfort in her ear, but even to him, they sounded empty. They sat there for, James didn't know how long, but once Lily had calmed down enough, he walked back over to the couch and sat bringing Lily down next to him.

"It'll be okay Lils," she gave him an almost pleading look and he knew that it very well may not be okay. Pulling her close, he whispered, "It has to be."

"James," she sniffed, "I'm so scared. We already knew that Voldemort was after _us_, but Harry…?" sniff, "He can't hurt my baby! Please don't let him hurt my baby!" and began sobbing again.

It broke James' heart to see his beautiful wife in such a state, he wanted to comfort her. He wanted to be able to look her in the eye and promise her that everything was going to be okay, to tell her that it had all been a dream and that there really was no prophecy that could be fulfilled with the death of their beloved child. He wanted to be able to tell her everything that she wanted to hear and more and to be able to assure her that it would all be over soon. That they could go home and get on with their normal lives and leave this war behind. Oh how he wanted it all to be true, but it just wasn't and he couldn't tell her that it would all be okay, because it wouldn't. The thought made him want to cry as well, but he knew that he had to be strong for Lily. It just wouldn't do for them to sit on the floor in the center of their living room and cry their hearts out for the next few days. No, he would be strong and he would do everything in his power to protect his family. Finally, Lily looked up at him with her blotchy, red eyes.

"We need to do something about this."

"About what?" he asked her, confusion in his sad eyes. She took a minute to compose herself before answering.

"We need to plan ahead. Voldemort is already after us, what if something bad happens? I want Harry to have the best life possible if we're not here for him. I want to plan ahead."

"Will you stop worrying? You make it sound like we're going to die!" he snapped.

Lily began to sob again at his sharp outburst so James pulled her close for a hug, realizing he may have gone too far.

"Lil's it will all work out. Do you trust me? We don't know—besides I'm sure that Dumbledo—"

"Dumbledore? I don't trust Dumbledore enough to handle Harry properly. Not after tonight."

"The prophecy was hardly his fault."

"It's not that, I know it can't be helped, but he should have told us sooner. He said it was made over a year ago. Why didn't he tell us then, James? Why?"

"He needed time to figure it out Lily; he didn't even know that you were pregnant then."

"But when he did… It would hardly take a year to tell us about it once he found out Alice and I were both expecting a baby by the end of July. And did you see the way he looked at him? James, Albus wasn't looking at Harry as he normally does. Not like a sweet, little innocent baby. He looked at him as if he were a new tool that he had been presented with, guaranteeing the downfall of Voldemort." There was silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Then Lily spoke up again.

"I don't want our son's life in the hands of the Headmaster, should we die. I fear what he would have in store for Harry if something happened to us. Albus has many difficult decisions in this war, sometimes it comes down to sending an Order member on a mission that he knows they won't return from, but it's necessary nonetheless. I'm afraid of what he'd see Harry as. He now has a burden on him that he can't escape from and I'm scared of what Albus would do if he deems it 'necessary.' I know that he doesn't like sending people off to their deaths, but what could one life sacrificed be, in order to save us all? I just don't think that he would go about it in the best way," there was another pause of several minutes.

"So what do you want to do?" James finally asked her.

_September 1981_

_knock knock knock_

"Oh, hello Molly! It's so good to see you! Come in; come in out of the rain!" Lily greeted Molly Weasley, whom she had invited over for tea this afternoon. James and she had been discussing the whole prophecy business for around 2 months and, after much argument, James had grudgingly agreed with Lily's plan. To say he wasn't thrilled was an understatement. They had not known the Weasley's for very long and Lily wanted to trust them with very valuable information. James had insisted on telling Sirius, but Lily had told him that they needed to keep 

this from the Marauders, at least for now. Since telling one of the four meant that all of them found out they had finally decided against it because they couldn't risk this information getting out, and to be perfectly honest, they weren't sure that they could trust all four men and they weren't about to take any chances. Lily had explained, that although they hadn't known the Weasley's very long, they were very loyal and had a history of being 'blood traitors' in Voldemort's eyes therefore they would never join the Death Eaters and Voldemort would most likely kill any one of them if he so much as saw them. And Molly, being a mother, would never do that to any of her children, Lily knew this for sure.

"How are you today?" Lily questioned

"Oh I'm alright dear, as well as can be expected."

"I understand. And how are the children doing? Baby Ginny doing well?"

At the mention of her daughter, Molly's smile grew. She had always wanted a daughter, and now that she had one, she treasured her and was very pleased when someone brought her up. "She's doing very well. She's so sweet and so little, much better behaved than any of my boys. And how is little Harry doing these days?"

"Harry is wonderful," Lily beamed, "He is so cute and learns so quickly. In fact, just yesterday he summoned his stuffed, black dog that Sirius got him. It was upstairs in his room and he summoned it to him all the way down here. We're so proud of him," she began to walk towards the kitchen just across the cozy living room of the cottage.

"That's good to hear; after all they are such a blessing in these hard times," Molly said softly

"Indeed they are," Lily nearly whispered, looking down at her feet. She took a deep breath and invited Molly to sit down at the kitchen table. "There's something I would like to discuss with you. Would you like some tea?" She raised her eyebrows and gestured to the teapot and cups she had waiting on the table.

"That would be wonderful dear. Thank you."

She poured each of them a cup of steaming hot tea and dove right in. "Molly, I know we haven't known each other for a terribly long time, but I trust you. You know what it's like to have children and you would never do anything to harm them. So I'm going to ask you a favor, something you must not share with anyone, with the exception of Arthur. Right now I feel more comfortable talking to you about this, I hardly know Arthur you see, so…" She trailed off

Molly looked at her kindly, but concerned. "You can tell me anything dear, and I assure you Arthur will not spill your secrets."

"Thank you, I'm afraid it's a rather large favor and will be quite a bit to take in," Lily told the woman sitting across the table from her. Molly just raised her eyebrows and waited for her to continue. "Before I even get into it, I must ask you to do one thing. This is very important and I'm sure it will go against everything that you've been told during this war, but it is for the best. Please Molly, do this for me, you are the only person James and I can trust to do this."

Molly was thoroughly confused now, what on earth could Lily Potter want from her that would have such an effect on everyone? What was it that was so important to her that she was reacting this way? In all the time Molly had known her, she had never once done anything like this and now, just out of the blue Lily was asking her for a seemingly large favor and warning her that she may not like it as well?

"Lily dear, whatever it is, I'm sure it can't be that bad-"just then Lily burst into tears across from her. What on earth was going on? She got up and rushed over to the young woman's side, kneeling in front of her. "Did I say something? I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to upset anyone!"

"I...It's not you!" she sobbed.

"Then what is it? You're scaring me!"

"Oh Molly! It's H-H- Harry!" and continued to cry uncontrollably on her friends shoulder. Oh no! Did something happen to Harry? Was he alright? But he had to be, Lily had told her he was fine when she had got there.

"What's wrong with Harry dear? Is he alright?" when Lily didn't respond, Molly just let her cry and calm herself down before continuing. Fifteen minutes later, she was calm enough to go on and Molly returned to her seat.

"He's fine," she sniffed. "He's upstairs taking a nap."

Molly breathed a sigh of relief. Then Lily leaned in from across the table and looked at her very seriously. "Can you keep a secret for me?"

She hadn't been expecting that, but obviously this was important. "Yes of course, now will you please tell me what's going on?

"You must understand, we must keep this a secret from everyone and most importantly Dumbledore."

"I… What?" now she was completely confused. What on earth could she possibly be talking about? Why would the Potters want to keep something from Dumbledore?

"This is very important, I need someone that I can trust and I don't trust Albus to do this the right way. That is where you and Arthur come in."

"What is going on?" was all a thoroughly confused and worried Molly could get out. She eyed her friend, silently pleading to be let in on the secret.

"I understand your shock, but before I can go any further I need your solemn promise that you will not breathe a word of this to Albus," Lily firmly stated.

"Well I have no idea why you would want to keep anything from Dumbledore, but if you insist I suppose the least I could do is hear you out."

"Do I have your word Molly?"

"Yes. I'm not saying I like it, but if it's important to you then I will listen. I am not giving you any decisions yet, but I will listen."

Lily let out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding. She was so glad Molly had said yes. "Thank you so much, it means so much to James and me."

Molly studied her friends' face for a moment before urging her to go on.

"Well, I'm afraid James and I have come across some rather… disturbing information this summer. You see, Dumbledore called us to his office late one afternoon just a couple of months ago and shared some very valuable information with us. Aside from James, me and the Longbottoms Dumbledore has not told this to anyone else, I expect you to do the same."

"But I thought that you didn't want Albus involved."

"I don't, at least not in my plans for my son, but he knows of the prophecy already."

"Prophecy?" Molly interrupted; she had never been one for divination and always thought it a sketchy subject.

"I know how this sounds; personally I'm not much for divination myself, but…" she drew a deep breath, obviously trying to keep herself composed.

"Oh dear Lily, you're a mess, what could it have possibly said to get you so worked up?"

"Albus was interviewing a woman for the post of divination teacher at Hogwarts, just as he was leaving she took his arm and gave him the prophecy, it says;

'_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…' _"

Silence… It was so quite in the little kitchen that one might think someone had cast a silencing charm on it but for the rain pounding on the windows through their yellow curtains. Molly sat, trying to wrap her brain around the information and Lily stared at her, waiting for her response. Finally, after what was at least 20 minutes, possibly more, Molly spoke up, looking across the gleaming wooden table at her friend with a determined glint in her eye.

"What do you want me to do?"

Lily smiled in spite of herself. Molly was so wonderful. Leaning in they began to discuss the plan that the Potters had spent the better part of two months with many sleepless night trying to perfect.

"Now that you have heard my reason I'm sure you can understand why I wish to keep Albus out of this? He will see Harry as a weapon, not a child. I don't want him to grow up like that-"

"Wait, what do you mean you don't want him to grow up like that? Has something happened? Surely you and James could overrule Albus' opinion regarding Harry?"

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath Lily gave her reasoning to Molly. "I just have this feeling, you know?" She stared off into the distance and if seeing something Molly could not, playing out a scene in her mind. "James and I may very well not survive this-"

"Lily Potter! Don't you talk like that!" Molly snapped at her friend, who jumped at the sudden outburst. "You have no idea what's ahead and we must all try our hardest to bring down You-Know-Who. It will be alright in the end, you'll see, but don't give up hope yet, that only gives him power."

"I haven't given up hope Molly. I have every intention of living to see my son grow up, get his Hogwarts letter when he turns eleven and go off to school for the first time, to see him fall in love, graduate and get married and enjoy my grandchildren before I die. I want to see that _so_ bad. But Voldemort has been after us for so long now, we've escaped him three times now and last time James was very nearly killed. He wants to kill us and now, with the prophecy…" Molly gave her friend a sympathetic look. She couldn't imagine what she must be going through. Then Lily added in a whisper, "Albus says that a Death Eater overheard some of it, he told Voldemort and now he knows. He says that his spy told him he's singled Harry out. He plans to kill him personally." There was silence for a few minutes then, in a stronger voice Lily said, "I just want to make sure that my son is taken care of the way I want him to be. Should anything happen to 

us, I don't want Dumbledore to have a say in it; you should have seen the way he looked at Harry! This prophecy was made over a year ago and still he waited this long to tell us," she sighed irritably. "I just don't have the trust in him like I once did and I would prefer that he didn't know of our plans."

"I understand Lily. I-I'm so sorry," Molly said to her teacup.

Smiling Lily reached across and put her hand over the top of Molly's in a comforting gesture. "All I can say is thank you for being willing to listen to me. Now, I have one more thing to ask of you; will you help me?"

Raising her head and looking directly into Lily's deep green emerald eyes she said one word:

"Yes," thrilled to be able to do something more to help and bring down Lord Voldemort once and for all.

"Thank you."

And they began to discuss their plans of how they would pull off such a stunt of going under the Headmaster nose, without being caught. How they would teach young Harry everything they knew and would hire tutors for him and teachers to help train him in advanced fighting skills. All the while the young boy slept soundly in his crib upstairs, oblivious to what was going on just a thin layer of wood and plaster below him.

Finally Molly left late that evening. Lily walked her to the door and waved goodbye with a smile of her face. She quickly went back into the kitchen and gathered the papers that held all of their plans and placed them in a beige folder before carrying them up to the master bedroom and placing them in a drawer.

When James Potter walked in the door he breathed in the wonderful scent of dinner cooking. Placing his briefcase by the coat rack in the entrance way he walked into the living room to see 

Harry sitting on the floor giggling at a round, golden ball that was hovering just a foot from his face. They had bought him a little snitch recently that was slightly larger than the standard one used in games and spelled to go much, much slower and to stay within a certain perimeter within which it was placed. He bent down and scooped his son up in his arms then tossed him playfully into the air.

"How's my little mischief maker doing?" he said as he threw Harry up again. The boy just giggled in response and let out a squeal of delight as he was thrown up yet again. James paused when he heard a clearing of the throat from the direction of the kitchen. He turned to see his wife standing there in a flowery apron over her green t-shirt and jeans with a slightly disapproving look, but smiling nonetheless.

"Err…" was all he could say.

"Hmm, I seem to remember telling you not to do that," she said as she slowly walked towards him and gave him a light peck on his lips.

"Harry made me do it," he responded and gave her another kiss.

She raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Really? Well then I suppose I'm just going to have to send him to bed without dinner."

"Aw, don't do that Lily. Look at him, just sitting there with his little golden ball, the very picture of innocence. He doesn't deserve that, give the guy another chance."

Harry just sat on his spot on the red area rug and looked at the two of them as if they were nuts. He was probably right.

"Alright I'll give him one more chance, but that's it, if he chooses not to listen then he'll have a lot more problems on his hands than missing dinner," Lily said, looking pointedly at her husband.

James gulped and feigned terror. "What are you going to _do_?" giving her huge worried eyes and clasping his hands under his chin dramatically. In turn Lily threw the kitchen towel at him and went back making dinner.

James went back over to his son and knelt down placing the towel on the ground in front of him. "What d'ya say? Where shall we hide it?"

"JAMES POTTER!"

"Uh-oh, we have been caught! RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!! She is coming for us!" James jumped to his feet and backed off towards the door. Harry still sat on the floor eyeing the dishtowel suspiciously.

Lily stormed in and swiped up the towel from the floor then marched over to James. "I will not have a repeat of the time you and Sirius decided to hide Harry's blanket from him!"

James remembered that incident quite well, they had been playing hide and seek with the blanket and somehow it had gotten lost. Neither Sirius nor himself had known where it had gone and had turned the house inside out looking for it. So when Lily came home from grocery shopping, she had not been pleased with the state of her house. She made the two men clean in all up and then when she couldn't find the blanket she made James sleep with no covers in the middle of winter. Harry loved that blue blanket and slept with it every night. He hadn't been particularly upset, but it had bothered Lily. The next morning, just after James got up he saw Harry march into his room and stick his little hand between the mattresses and pull out a light blue, fluffy blanket before going straight back out as if nothing had happened. James had stood there wide-eyed for five minutes as realization hit that it had been Harry. It was all his fault, then he burst out laughing and tried to explain to Lily over breakfast, but she was having none of it, still convinced that it had been James and Sirius.

He handed the towel over and followed her into the kitchen to set the table.

When they all sat down to dinner, they chatted about the day, what was going on in the Order and various other thing, then Lily brought up what she had discussed with Molly Weasley.

"I invited Molly over for tea today."

James looked up from his plate with raised eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Mm-Hmm"

"And? What'd she say?"

"She said yes."

James couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. Everything was all set up and they could now be sure that Harry would be taken care of and kept away from Albus Dumbledore. "That's very good news Lily. And you're sure that she won't tell anyone?"

"Quite. She'll help us James, even if something happens to us, she'll take care of everything for Harry and be sure he's got everything that he needs."

Dinner went on in this manner and they continued their conversation regarding their plans for Harry and what the future may hold. The next few weeks were much the same. Plotting and planning all the while trying to keep their conspiracy a secret from the seemingly all-knowing Headmaster of Hogwarts.

As the month of October wore on, the rain did not cease. It had been stormy quite often recently. The weather seemed to match the mood of everyone. Even the Muggles were beginning to take note that something was wrong, though they couldn't quite put their finger on it. The little cottage was very cozy, with the rain outside Lily had made hot cocoa and James invited the Marauders over. With Harry's help he had built a fire which was merrily crackling away in the living room, illuminating everything and reflecting off the gleaming wood floor.

They sat and talked; laughing as if the world was not falling apart with every new day and Sirius would change into his dog form and play with Harry.

"Shouldn't Peter have been here by now Prongs?" Sirius questioned from the floor, where Harry was busy crawling over his stomach and laughing at his golden snitch, which was just out of reach.

"Yeah, he said he'd be here by now. Wonder what happened to him?"

"He'll probably show up soon enough," Lily put in. "You know how he's been busy a lot lately, and maybe he just couldn't make it."

"Yeah, maybe," James said, as he stared out the red curtained window into the rain. He was startled by a strange noise from Sirius and spun around to see him clutching his stomach and Harry on his back beside him holding his snitch. "What happened?"

"Your kid kneed me in the gut!" he said in a strained voice. "Ahhh, James, if I die… I want you to have my _1001 Greatest Pranks_ book. Don't… tell… L-Lily…" with that he closed his eyes and stopped moving.

Harry stopped laughing and crawled over towards his Godfather. He poked him in the ribs and when that didn't work proceeded to place his little snitch into his Godfather half open mouth. Sirius' eyes shot open and he sat up and coughed.

"That's cheating Harry!" Sirius then turned into a great black dog and chased the giggling baby around the living room.

Lily just sat in her chair with an amazed look on her face while shaking her head. "What on earth?" she muttered to herself.

"You get used to it," put in Remus. Lily hadn't realized anyone had heard her, but smiled at her friend.

The night wore on in much the same manner and Peter never showed up. Finally the time came for everyone to leave. It was getting very late and Harry was falling asleep.

"Shh, James, I'm going to go put Harry to bed now. Don't make any loud noises!" she gave him a stern look.

"Alright sweetheart. I'll be up soon. I love you," he gave his wife a kiss then turned to Harry. "Goodnight son, sleep well," smoothing the hair away from the boy's forehead he placed a kiss in the center and smiled at Lily as she took the sleeping baby up the stairs. With that he began picking up the living room and putting a few things back in their places when suddenly, he heard a strange noise outside.

He straightened up with a puzzled expression and walked over towards the window. Surely Peter couldn't have decided to show up? Not now, it was far too late. Squinting to see through the darkness James could have sworn he saw movement, but then, it was late and he'd had a long day. Convinced that his eyes were playing tricks on him he turned back towards the living room and was about to continue picking up Harry's toys when he heard another sound. Wheeling around to face the window again he searched hard. That was definitely the sound of the gate squeaking open!

James wasn't too worried; they were under the _Fidelius_ charm and Death Eaters had no way of finding them. But he still wanted to know who could possibly be visiting at this late hour. That was when he saw it. A black cloak, it almost blended perfectly with its surroundings, black as night. The only thing that set it apart was that he could barely make it out moving, closer and closer to the house.

"What on earth?" James muttered to himself. As the tall figure walked up the stone pathway James decided that something wasn't right. This tall, lean figure was definitely not Peter and he could sense something very wrong about the situation. Where_ was_ Peter for that matter, he wondered to himself? As the mysterious figure closed in on the house, a horrid thought flitted across James mind, his eyes widened in terror and he strained even harder to see who was outside.

"BOOM!"

The front door was blasted off its hinges and wood flew everywhere. James heard Lily trail down the upstairs hallway, no doubt to find out what was going on. He looked up towards the door and saw his worst fears come true. A pair of gleaming red eyes stared back at him with an amused glint. Voldemort.

"Good evening Mr. Potter, we meet again," The Dark Lord hissed.

James's eyes widened in fear, but he stood his ground, refusing to be intimidated for what he knew would be a last stand. "Get out of my house," he said in a firm, angry voice.

"J-a-ames… what was that?" came Lily's frightened voice from the top step.

Turning his head slightly towards the direction of the stairs, but not taking his eyes off of Lord Voldemort, James called, "IT'S HIM! Lily run! Take Harry and get out of here! It's Voldemort! GO!"

He heard a gasp and the sound of Lily retreating to their son's bedroom. The Dark Lord chuckled from his spot just inside the doorway.

"You really think that you can duel me James Potter? You may have held fate at bay far too long, your family cannot continue to outrun me, this time, I have you! You cannot protect them from me," he laughed as a sick smile crept up his features. Lord Voldemort still looked much like his Muggle father Tom Riddle. He had a handsome face, and thick black, curly locks. But there was something about him, aside from those piercing red eyes that so obviously held so much evil. He emitted a strange presence around him and it scared James to death.

James eye's darkened with anger at the mention of his family, he was scared, but he wasn't going down without a fight. He knew he would lose, but he would give his wife and child time to get away. He stared back at the Dark Lord defiantly.

"We have escaped you three times and we can do it again!" he sneered back. "You think you're so powerful and skilled, so tell me, how did two young adults and a baby get away practically unscathed all those times?" he taunted with raised eyebrows. James knew that he was making Voldemort angry, but the longer he could prevent a duel the more time it gave Lily to get away.

"You will pay for dearly for those comments Potter. I am going to kill you, oh yes, I will succeed this time for sure and then I will go up to visit your wife and child. Whom should I kill first James? Dear Mrs. Potter or the child? Should I let her suffer first? Knowing that she failed to protect your son? Yes I think that will do quite nicely. What say you James Potter? Do you agree with my plan?"

"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH THEM!"

"Oh I think you will find that I can and I most defiantly will. Yes that seems fitting, that Mudblood wife of yours is no doubt very pretty," an evil grin made its way across Lord Voldemort's face. Now James was just plain mad! How dare he threaten Lily like that?!

"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HER! GO TO HELL YOU BASTARD!" He roared

"_It is not I who will be going to hell James, but do be sure to let me know how it is," he replied, and with a mirthless laugh, continued on. "Don't you see? It's your own fault that I'm here. You led me straight to your family, making that pathetic rat secret-keeper! I didn't even have to torture him to get him to spill this location," he said off-handedly_.

James froze. "Peter…" was all he could get out.

Voldemort laughed, it was cold and merciless and it sent chills down James' spine, "Yes Peter. He came to me and for many months now he has been secretly feeding me information from the Order. He does have his uses, I must admit."

"Y-You're lying!" James stuttered, he was completely shocked at what that statement implied. "Peter would never betray us like that! No!" But even as he said it, he could feel the emptiness of the words, all the pieces fell into place in his mind.

"Oh come now James, that old fool Dumbledore has known for some time now there was a spy in his precious Order, I feel it is only fitting that you know exactly who it was that betrayed you before you die. Love… it can lead to such petty mistakes. It can lead to such petty mistakes, such as caring, and trust. Love will be your downfall as it will be Dumbledore's!" he spat the name. "Yes it was Peter who betrayed you and you made it all too easy for me to find you! Now as much as I've enjoyed our little chat, I have more pressing matters to deal with. "_Avada Kedavra!"_

James jumped out of the way of the killing curse as it screamed towards him, feeling it's cold grip missing by inches. He heard something shatter behind him but didn't take the time to find out what it was.Jumping back up, he sent a barrage of curses in Voldemort's direction.

Voldemort waved them away with an almost lazy flick of his wrist. And began firing curse after curse at James, who ducked, rolled and jumped to the side until he turned to avoid a deep purple jet of light only to walk into an electric blue one.

Collapsing to the floor with a cry, he hit the floor and felt another curse whiz by his head along with the feeling of a sticky warmth making its way across his chest. As his chin slammed into the ground he bit his tongue, cursing, he spat the blood on the floor and rolled up to face the terror that was Lord Voldemort

Now on the defensive side of battle, he hardly had time to get a spell in and was having an increasingly difficult time against the proficiency of his opponent. At first he dodged and blocked what he could with a shield, but some spells just couldn't be blocked. James could think of one that he'd rather try to avoid if possible. He quickly ducked and rolled to the side, jumping up and casting yet another shield as something to his left exploded. They continued to exchange spellfire, it was not a question of who was the better dueler of the pair, Voldemort was highly skilled and the question left no room for argument. But James wasn't in this to win, he knew what was to come, and he knew beyond a doubt that this would indeed be his last fight. He of course, wasn't going to go quietly, however.

Ducking a barrage of spells shot at him, one right after another, James was tiring quickly. Through the noise of the shattering glass, the explosions and through the pain of his wounds, James could hear a faint crying from an upstairs bedroom. Harry. They were still in the house.

James was ready to give up, so ready to just stand and take the fall. Exhausted beyond belief and completely disoriented, James readied himself for one last stand before succumbing to his fate, one last chance to let his family escape, but he never got the chance…

"_Crucio!"_

"AAAHHHHH!" James let out a loud, drawn out shriek as pain ripped through his body. He felt as though his blood were on fire and ten thousand razor-sharp knives were being plunged into him over and over again as his body bent and stretched it ways it was never meant. It was unbearable. He didn't know how long he laid there, thrashing about on the floor, but finally the pain stopped and left him gasping for air, but even that seemed painful.

"Get up," Voldemort sneered at him. James felt a spell hit him and found himself in a standing position, his muscles protesting to the movement. He was shaking and on the edge of consciousness. "Look at me," The Dark Lord said. "I want you to look at me when you die. I want to see the light leave your eyes!"

James straightened and gave him a defiant glare. Voldemort raised his wand and smirked. "Good-bye James Potter. It's a shame that your wife left her wand downstairs, I've placed wards around the area preventing her from leaving the grounds."

James felt his heart skip a beat. No! How could he be so stupid! He sent Lily upstairs without her wand and now they were helpless! They were all going to die and there was nothing he could do. He looked up at Voldemort to see a satisfied smirk on the Dark Lord's face then his mouth formed the words of the killing curse and James saw the tip of Voldemort's wand glow green. In one brief second he saw a thousand unfinished images flash through his mind, some seemed to slow down and he could just make out the memory… Meeting Sirius and Remus on the train to Hogwarts… The first time he saw Lily Evans… Pulling that great prank on Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers… That great spell that let the whole castle hear Sirius singing in the shower and the memory of his best friends chasing him around the grounds for that one… His first date with Lily at the end of sixth year… Their wedding day… Harry, his birthday… suddenly James snapped out of it and realized what he had to live for, why he had to go on and what he must protect. If not for himself, then for his family's sake, they would escape again. He couldn't let Voldemort win this easily! Harry had to live and grow up, and James was going to be there for him.

Summoning the last bit of his strength James looked into those piercing, evil red eyes just as the sickly green light left Voldemort's wand. He saw it flashing toward him, the wings of death, but just at the last second, James jumped out of the way. It was as if things were in slow motion. He saw the curse pass his left side and felt the force of it as it brushed his shirt as the shirt blew out on his left a bit while he fell through the air, leaving a big, black, smoking hole. He felt it whiz by his side missing skin by a millimeter and zoom off down the hall. Then he saw the corner of a side table quickly approaching as he fell and he realized that he would not be able to avoid it.

Voldemort had been watching this unblinkingly, but he had been too preoccupied with watching James fall and the curse 'hit' him to realize that in fact, it had just barely missed and merely scorched his shirt.

James head slammed into the table and he fell into blissful oblivion. Voldemort watched as blood spilled from Potter's head and eyed the hole in the side of his shirt where he was sure the curse had hit. He smiled to himself and turned towards the stairs.

Lily scurried around upstairs, throwing things into a large bag and wrapping harry in blankets as he fussed softly at the commotion going on around him.

"Shh, it's okay Harry, It's okay, shh," she said through sniffs of her own.

Continuing to wander around the room picking things up and tossing others out of the way, finally she clutched her hair in frustration. "Dammit! Where is it?" she cursed, throwing a toy block against the far wall. As it clattered to the floor Lily's eyes widened as realization hit her, she left her wand, the object of her search, downstairs. She stared blankly ahead and tears began a river out of her eyes.

"No," she breathed. "No, no, no, no, NOOO!" she screamed and pushed everything off the top of Harry's dresser. It all shattered to the floor and Lily collapsed in tears next to Harry when a thought hit her. She quickly picked herself up and pushed the dresser in front of the door of the little nursery.

Sure she'd done her best to barricade Harry and herself inside the nursery; Lily held Harry for a few minutes, knowing it would be the last time she would ever be allowed to do so. She'd stood there, holding her son close as the noise of battle raged on downstairs, she'd held him through the crashes, booms, shattering of glass, the screams, and finally… the silence. Now she knew that her husband was dead and Harry and herself would be next. Squeezing him in a tight hug and choking back a sob, she placed a kiss on the toddler's forehead before reluctantly placing him in the wooden crib behind her. Lily wiped her eyes on her sleeve and grabbed Harry's toy broomstick in her hand, raising it over her shoulder, ready to defend her son, though she knew it wouldn't be much good against a wand, especially when said wand was in the hands of Voldemort. So she stood there, guarding her baby boy.

"Shh, it's okay Harry, Mommy's here," she tried to comfort him. "Mommy's here and we'll be with Daddy soon, sweetie… just a bit longer and it will all be over… I love you Harry, Daddy and I both love you… so much," she choked.

She heard footsteps creeping up the stairs, she tightened her grip on the toy broom she was clutching, knowing that it wasn't James coming to tell her it was all okay. Her eyebrows knit together in a look of panic and worry as she held the broomstick over her shoulder. Harry was sitting in his crib, eyeing the door just as hard as his mother. He wasn't crying, in fact, he had ceased to make any sound whatsoever since Lily had spoken to him, instead he just stared at the door and furniture, the only things keeping them safe from their inevitable fate. The footsteps were coming closer, down the hallway towards the nursery door. They paused outside and Lily gripped her makeshift bat tighter, she closed her eyes.

"I love you James," she whispered as another tear rolled down her cheek. The heavy footfalls slowed as they neared the room… torture… slowly they crept down the hall…closer… closer… they stopped.

"Oh God," she breathed.

"BOOM!"

The door and all the desks and drawers were blown away in the blink of an eye, sending splinters and large chunks of wood to blanket the room. There, framed in the doorway, stood Lord Voldemort, a triumphant look on his face.

"So good to see you again Mrs. Potter. Shall we skip the formalities? I'm here for the boy, give him to me and I shall let you live."

Lily just stared at him, a look of defiance on her face. Her hands were sweating around the handle of the broomstick, but she wouldn't give in.

"I see you are going to make this difficult. Move out of the way and I will leave you be. You can always have more children in the future. Save yourself."

This snapped Lily out of her daze. "Never! How dare you!" she snapped.

When he came closer, Lily tensed and tightened her grip on the broom even more. Her knuckles were turning white from holding it so tightly.

Sighing, Voldemort resigned himself to the inevitable; he raised his wand to Lily and gave her one last chance. "Step aside you silly girl, no one can protect him from me! Now Move!"

"No! Please, just leave him be! Have mercy, please!" she begged.

"_Move!"_

"Please! Not Harry, I'll do anything, just leave Harry _alone!_" as she yelled 'alone' she swung the broomstick at him, but Voldemort caught it and yanked it from her grip, throwing it off to the side.

"Come now Lily," he said and he moved in on her. "It's not nice to hit people and it hurts my feelings. You don't want to do that. Now MOVE!" he snarled.

"NO! Leave Harry alone! Take me instead, leave him alone!"

"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" he roared.

"NO!" she screamed back with equal force.

"Then you leave me no choice!" he snapped, raising his wand. "_Avada Kedavra!" _

A scream ripped through the village of Godric's Hollow and the kids out trick-or-treating or teenagers out for a late party looked nervously in the direction of the little country lane.

Voldemort stepped over the dead girl and walked up to the crib. The child gazed up at him through piercing emerald eyes, taking in the wand and unnatural blood red pupils. Harry glanced down at his Mother, lying motionless on the floor and began to shy away from Voldemort.

"So, it was you who was to be my downfall was it? Well, I shall enjoy watching you die," he raised his wand to the child and laughed. After tonight, no one would ever be able to bring him down. _"Avada Kedavra!"_

He watched with a satisfied smile as the jet of sickly green light left his wand, but instead of dying out when it hit the child, it seemed to glow brighter. The light intensified around the epicenter of the toddler's forehead and spread throughout the room, enveloping everything. What had that damn girl done? The green light drew closer and spread around Voldemort, encasing him in its glow.

A horrid, ethereal scream ripped the quiet of the night, a scream that seemed to have come from the pits of hell itself, but it did not hold the same sorrow, pain and anguish of the terrified woman, oh yes it was terrible in its own right, but it did not tug at the hearts of those near enough to hear. Instead, people listening came to the verge of begging it to stop, but just as the inhuman shriek reached its most piercing point, it stopped; coming to an unnatural halt, as if someone had cast a silencing charm.

The vacuum of absolute silence about the remains of the cottage did not last long. It was soon followed by a sonic boom of noise and gust of wind filled with the debris in the room from an epicenter in the small Nursery holding enough force to knock a person off of their feet, a flash of brilliant white light then…nothing.

With a soft _pop_ Albus Dumbledore arrived at the Potters cottage in Godric's Hollow. His instruments had told him that something was very wrong indeed, but he had never expected to 

find this. Pulling out a chocolate frog card bearing a picture of himself, Albus began speaking to it. He called on Professor Minerva McGonagall to brief her on the situation

A slightly irritated looking Professor answered her card after a short time. Her hair was down opposed to its usual tight bun and her spectacles were absent, it was obvious she had been sleeping, but her expression immediately changed once she saw the somber look on the Headmaster's face.

"What is it Albus? Has something happened?" Minerva braced herself for the bad news that she had become accustomed to in recent years. With the war having raged on for so long, deaths were an everyday occurrence and rarely a surprise.

"I am afraid that I have terrible news Minerva. A few moments ago, I was sitting in my office, when I my instruments alerted me to a disturbance in Godric's Hollow at the Potter's place of residence. When I arrived, what I found was… most shocking," he said shaking his head sadly.

"Oh my… What's happened Albus? Are they alright?" her heart was beating wildly in her chest as she hung onto the thread of hope that somehow James and Lily were alive. But it was soon squashed.

"They are gone, Minerva," he said simply, getting right to the point.

She gasped and hung her head, yet another set of names to add to their list of the deceased. Lily Evans had been a favorite student of hers, always polite and hard working, but then so was James. As much as she may hate to admit it, the prankster was especially gifted in transfiguration and had always received good marks. It was heartbreaking to watch as the adults that you once taught in your classroom, not so long ago, were slowly killed off by Voldemort and his Death Eaters. After a minute or two of silence Dumbledore spoke up again.

"I ask that you inform the Order and perhaps send out a bit of help, for I have a feeling we will have quite a bit on our hands when I come out of that house," at her questioning look he simply stated, "I will explain when I arrive at the school." A hint of his trademark twinkle appeared in his eye for a brief moment before fading out again.

She shot him a look that said she wasn't pleased with being kept out of the loop, and clearly disapproved of his vague explanation, but agreed to her task and went off to find him some help.

With that Albus placed his card back inside his robes and walked towards the house. He could only hope against hope that things were not as bad as they seemed. As he came closer he was sure that he could make out the faint sound of crying. His heart jumped with joy at the possibility that his suspicions were correct but he didn't get the chance to dwell on it. Just then a blue glow appeared to his left as Hagrid arrived by Portkey.

"Good evening Hagrid. May I inquire as to why you are here?"

"Professor McGonagall sent me sir," he said as his eyes clouded over with tears, his voice, thick with emotion. "She could use some help with the Order see, so I volunteered to help out over here."

"Ah, that was very kind of you Hagrid, you have our thanks," the giant looked like he wanted to say something, so Dumbledore paused, to give him a chance to voice his thoughts.

"Are… Are they all… dead… sir?" he whispered.

"I do not know, just before you arrived I thought I had heard the sound of a child crying, but I cannot be certain. Let us go find out," the Headmaster gestured toward the ruined house.

"I can do it sir; Professor McGonagall could use yer help back at the castle. Where would you like me to send the b-bodies, if I find any sir?" he was obviously trying to keep from crying.

"For now, you may leave any bodies that you find in their places, until I can come back and see to it. If you find anyone alive, report back to me immediately on your frog card. Thank you Hagrid."

Taking a deep, shuddering breath Hagrid replied, "Yer welcome sir."

"Now if you will excuse me, I believe I have some Order business to attend to. Do not hesitate to call me on the cards."

"Yes sir."

"And your Portkey will take you back to Hogwarts? Am I correct?"

"Yes, it will sir."

"Then I expect to hear from you soon," and with a soft _pop_ he was gone.

Hagrid turned and resigned himself to his fate. He had known the Potter's for a long time and was dreading what he'd find in there. But this had to be done and without thinking it through, he had volunteered. He stared at the house for a moment before taking his first step forward. It seemed to take a small eternity to reach the door, yet, at the same time, it just didn't take long enough. He pushed through the front door and was horrified to see the living room. He had tried his best to prepare himself for what he would find inside, but this was terrible! Where there had once been a cozy yellow room with red curtains and area rug, with a large stone fireplace, there was now wood splayed everywhere. Glass scattered around the floor, nothing was in one piece. Even the furniture was broken and ruined. There were holes in the walls and the fireplace was a mess, then Hagrid spotted a bloodstain across the far wall, or what was left of it. He took careful steps through the wreckage and slowly made his way further into the destruction that had once been the Potter's cottage.

Once he had taken in the heart-wrenching scenery he spotted a lump at the far end of the room. He rushed over as quickly as he could without hurting himself and knelt beside the lump. He carefully turned it over to reveal the body of James Potter. Hagrid sat there for a minute staring at James bloodied form.

"Ah James, yeh' did not try an' duel with 'im did yeh?" he said to the darkness as tears filled his big brown eyes. "Ya must 'ave."

Just then he noticed that his friend seemed to have stirred ever so slightly at the sound of his voice. It couldn't be… could it? Impossible, but he couldn't help the glimmer of hope that rose within him. He gently put a large finger to James neck to check for a pulse. There! Yes! He hadn't been imagining it, James was alive! He really was alive! Oh no, now what was he 

supposed to do? And what of Lily and Harry? Should he just leave James down here and go to check on the others or should he call Dumbledore back immediately. What was he talking about of course he should get Dumbledore back here right away. He couldn't risk James dying because he hadn't wanted to disturb the Headmaster. Quickly he pulled out his chocolate frog card from his large, heavy jacket and said Albus' name.

"Hagrid, what news do you have for me?"

"Blimey sir, I came in here expectin' to find the whole house a mess, but sir, James, he's alive!"

Albus looked shocked. "Are you quite certain Hagrid?"

"He's got a pulse, but jus' barely! He'll need medical attention righ' away sir!"

"I shall be there immediately, just hold on a moment."

About two minutes later Albus Dumbledore rushed through the empty doorway of the cottage and made his way over to Hagrid and James and quickly as he could. He knelt down beside them and put two fingers to James neck. The air around him seemed to change, he breathed a sigh of relief and when he looked back up at the giant next to him, his eyes shone with a sparkle of hope.

"It seems, he is indeed, alive. Well done Hagrid," he commended the giant. "Have you checked on the others at all?"

"Not yet. It jus' felt wrong to leave 'em 'ere."

"I understand. I shall bring James to St. Mungo's right away, if you would not mind taking care of the rest?"

"O' course sir."

Albus then held tightly to James arm and Dissapparated with a _pop_ that wasn't quite as quiet as usual. Hagrid stood up and made his way carefully up the stairs. As he drew nearer to the nursery he could hear a faint crying. He turned the corner into the room and felt his heart leap into his throat.

"Oh no," it was all he could do to prevent the tears from rolling down his cheeks.

The scene that greeted him was horrible. Baby Harry was standing in his crib sobbing quietly. He would occasionally call for Lily, who was lying cold and empty on the floor below the crib with her dark red hair sprawled around her like a halo. Her skin was so pale, making her hair stand out even more and her green eyes stared unseeingly into space. It was easily the most heartbreaking scene Hagrid had ever laid eyes on. He headed over to the crib with heartbroken eyes. Harry looked up at him with wide, frightened emerald orbs.

"Mumma," he squeaked.

All Hagrid could do at the moment was stare back at him and will his tears not to fall. Finally, he calmed himself enough to speak. "Oh, 'Arry," but he couldn't keep it up and burst into tears. He walked over to the toddler and picked him up, hugging him to his shoulder. He pulled Harry back and looked into his confused green eyes. "Poor little guy, don' even know what's 'appened."

He smoothed the hair back from Harry's forehead and was shocked when it came away bloody. "What's 'appened 'Arry, are yeh all righ'?" it was then that he noticed the mark above the child's right eye. There was a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt which was bleeding freely. It had been covered by his fringe when he sat in his crib, but now that that was out of the way it was clear to the whole world. Hagrid brought the boy back up to his shoulder and looked around. This room wasn't nearly as torn up as downstairs, but it seemed that Voldemort had blown the door away and Lily had attempted to keep him out by piling the furniture up to the door. He took one last sad glance at Lily Potter, the feeling of death lingering about the room. It was dark both inside and out, apparently the power had been cut in whatever happened here, this only added to the depressing atmosphere. The sound of a motorcycle coming down the street could be heard in the distance.

With a loud sniff the half-giant turned toward the empty door frame with Baby Harry in his large hands. He walked down the stairs and through the front door frame only to see Molly Weasley standing outside ringing her hands together and looking nervously down the street at an 

approaching headlight. Hagrid didn't know what she was doing here, but he was thankful for company. She turned when she heard him approach.

"Molly?"

"Hagrid!" she shrieked. "Oh thank goodness, I was beginning to worry!" she rushed over to him and did her best to peer into the tiny blanket that held Harry.

"What'r yeh doin' 'ere Molly? Did Dumbledore send yeh?"

"Hmm?" she was still trying valiantly to see what he was holding. "Oh no, don't be silly dear. Arthur and I got the news! It's so horrible! Is this Harry?"

"Yeh, it's 'Arry all righ'," he gently lowered the blanket to reveal the little one wrapped warmly within. "He lost his Mummy tonight." Fresh tears gently trailed their way down his cheeks once more. Molly gasped and looked up at him, unshed tears filled her eyes.

"No," she whispered. "A-And James?" Looking up at him, Hagrid could see that her eyes were full of hope. He just hoped that James would make it as well.

"He- he's at the hospital. Dumbledore took him there, I found 'im jus' after I walked in. He looked like he'd lost a lot o' blood, I can't say fer sure if he'll make it."

Molly let out an anguished wail and buried her face in her hands. A motorcycle drove up and parked on the edge of the street. A shiny helmet was hastily thrown off to reveal Sirius Black. Quickly, Sirius rushed up the walk toward the ruined cottage and came to an abrupt halt.

"What happened?" he blurted. Walking directly up to Hagrid he gave him a pleading look. "Hagrid, please, _please_ tell me they're not dead."

The look in the half-giants eyes said it all and Sirius collapsed to the ground in tears. "No! NOOOO!" he yelled into the night. Hagrid placed a large, comforting hand and Sirius' shoulder.

"James is alive, Sirius," he told the grieving man who shot his head up instantly.

"What?"

"James, Dumbledore's taken 'im to St. Mungo's fer treatment. He had a bad head wound."

"A-a-and w-what about Lil-Lily?"

Hagrid just looked at him with sad eyes.

"No! No it's all my fault! NOOOO!" he began again.

"She's gone Sirius, but it's not your fault," Molly spoke up.

"NO! It's my fault, no, no, no, no, no," he repeated over and over as he sobbed from his place on the ground. Neither Molly nor Hagrid had ever seen a man so broken before and most certainly not Sirius Black. It was so strange to see him in this situation. He was always so happy and full of laughter. Tonight was a bad night all around. Molly knelt down next to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked up and stopped his mumbling.

"Hagrid?" he choked out.

"Yes?"

"Can you call Dumbledore and ask him how James is doing? I would do it myself, but I don't think I can… I don't think that I can hold out long enough."

"O' course," the half giant pulled a hankie from his pocket, ripped it in two and handed one half to Sirius. He used the other half to dry his own eyes and before placing it back into his pocket and pulling out his frog card.

He called Dumbledore and asked what he should do with Harry. The Headmaster told him to bring him to Lily's sister in Surrey and gave him directions with a promise to meet him there as soon as he was finished with Order business. Then Hagrid asked him how James was doing. He was told that for now James Potter would be alright, but he had yet to regain consciousness. After sharing this news with Sirius and Molly, the young Black had offered up his motorcycle to Hagrid, muttering something about a worm and how he was going to make it pay. Both Molly and Hagrid had been very confused by this statement but chose not to pursue it. Once he had Harry comfortably settled and warm on the bike Molly came rushing up clutching a folder and covered in dust. She must have gone into the house when he wasn't looking.

"Hagrid! Hagrid wait!" she called.

He sat quietly on the bike, waiting for her to reach him.

"Can you tell me where you are taking him? You told us Dumbledore said to bring him to his aunt's but I would like to see him off. Just to be sure he's alright. Lily was a dear friend of mine and… well?" In truth she didn't really want to go to these people's house, but as her promise to Lily and James she needed to find out where Harry lived. With the unsure news of James, she needed to be sure things went according to plan and that she knew exactly where to find the young boy. But Hagrid didn't need to know that.

"O' course Molly, I wrote 'em down right here," he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his hankie which had some very messy writing scrawled onto it. She quickly looked it over and handed it back to him with her thanks.

He started up the motor and began driving down the dark road just before soaring off into the moonlit sky.


	2. The Sandman

_Hey everyone! I'm sincerely apologize for being so slow on updating. This chapter was completed at the beginning of May but I'm still waiting to get one back from one of my 2 beta's. It's been nearly 2 months since I sent it so I'm posting for now and then I'll take it down and edit it when I get it back so excuse any errors! Chapter 3 is nearly done, I'll probly finish it today but it still has to be beta'd. Originally ch. 2 and 3 were going to be combined but that would be too much info so I've split it up. I'll answer any reviews on my profile. Thanks!_

One week into November, a thoroughly exhausted Albus Dumbledore sat in his office at Hogwarts School of and Wizardry. It had been a long week and he had had little rest. The room was dark and cold, he had not lit any candles and the fire burning in the grate had died hours ago, but somehow the cold did not bother him. The Headmaster's mind was too preoccupied with other things and the lack of comfort the room now held helped him to stay on alert until he could sort out the situation and get some much needed rest. Albus got up from his chair and moved over to look out the floor length window. A pink and golden sunrise was just beginning to peak over the green hilltops in the distance, its yellow rays spilling into the office and warming everything in its path. He gazed out at the peaceful, barely stirring world. Even the sunrise seemed to be evidence of a change. It was beautiful, and its rays seemed to give hope to all who saw them. It was such a drastic change to what everyone had been used to seeing in recent times. The dark clouds that had covered the sky for so long now were finally beginning to lift, and the days were becoming brighter. Albus realized that they had hardly had a drop of rain the entire week. It was a nice change, he thought, but back to the problems at hand.

One week ago, the darkest wizard the wizarding world had seen in centuries had fallen. The majority of the wizarding population had no idea how it had happened, but they also didn't seem to care much. All that mattered to them was that they were safe. No more, war, no more constantly looking over your shoulder in fear of danger. They could all breathe a deep sigh of relief, and that is exactly what they had done. People rejoiced in the streets, the Daily Prophet had covered the story for days now. There were parties, celebrations, and gradually, the feeling of death and despair was lifting from the world. Night and day, for one week, they had celebrated their Hero, most, not taking into account or caring about the full extent of the damage. No, while the world celebrated, Albus Dumbledore and the majority of the Order of the Phoenix had mourned the loss of dear friends. A few days before, Albus had been informed that James Potter had slipped into a coma and Frank and Alice Longbottom were unconscious in St. Mungos after being attacked by a group of Death Eaters. In addition to this, Sirius Black had been revealed as the Order's long-term spy. He had landed himself a place in Azkaban without a trial for the murder of Peter Pettigrew and numerous Muggles. Aside from the hospital patients and prisoners, the object of Dumbledore's musings was the little one that started it all. The-Boy-Who-Lived, they had dubbed him, the Savior of the Wizarding World. Well, Albus had placed their Savior with his Muggle relatives, despite Minerva's warnings. Had he done the right thing? He wasn't so sure, but right now, he had to be sure that the child was kept safe. Until James woke up, if he ever did, Harry would remain with the Dursley's.

* * *

Molly and Arthur Weasley sat at their kitchen table at the Burrow with a mess of parchment spread out before them. Lily's plans for Harry, as far as they had been able to get before… Molly didn't want to think about it. Across from her, Molly heard her husband give a frustrated sigh before looking up at her.

"Molly, I think we should take a break. We have been staring at this parchment for hours with little success and the boys will be waking up soon."

She gave him an annoyed look. He had been begging for a break for hours now, but she was determined to sort this out as much as possible. Then again, they hadn't had any real progress in quite a while and even she was beginning to get cross-eyed. Taking a deep breath, she nodded at him before clearing up the table. He stood up, gave her a sad smile, and pecked her on the cheek.

"I know you are trying to help Dear, but this will take quite a bit of time and planning. We can't just sort it all out in a day's time. Don't worry; we'll get there, just not yet." He said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She moved her hand up and covered his in return.

"I know." She said, "It's just that Lily made it very clear that she did not want Albus to have a say in how Harry was raised. She said that she and James had lost their trust in him and I just want to take care of things the way she wanted me to. I- I still can't believe that she's gone." Her voice broke and she began sobbing into her husband's shoulder. Over the past year, the Potter's had become very good friends to the Weasley's. They had spent quite a bit of time together and it was very difficult to accept what had happened. Arthur ran his hands up and down his wife's back and began whispering words of comfort in her ear.

"I know, but it'll be okay. We're doing all we can to help out and it's all that we can do for now." He held her like that for a few minutes until they heard noises coming from the stairs. Molly looked upward then dried her eyes.

"I guess the boys have woken up, I should start breakfast." She gave him one last hug, turned to grab her apron off a hook on the door and soon clanging metal could be heard and the sweet aroma of a hearty breakfast on the stove came from the direction of the old house.

Over the sound of sizzling bacon and the scraping of eggs off a pan, Molly called out to the house in general. "Arthur, dear, could you check on Ginny? She's still asleep and she needs to eat before I get on with the chores."

From somewhere in the house came Arthur's muffled voice, "Sure Dear," there was a loud crash followed by a yelp. "Ah! Just… err… give me a minute!" Molly's smile faded into a suspicious look and she put her hands on her hips. Her husband was known for 

his odd obsession with Muggle inventions and he had a hobby of taking them all apart to examine every detail before attempting to piece it back together, this usually resulted in some form of explosion or other bodily harm coming to him and was not a hobby she approved of. Another loud crash later she stalked through the house to find her husband bending over what looked like a large bike and messing around with a stick and those Muggle battery things. She stared at the sight before her for a moment before shaking her head as if to clear it.

"WHAT _ARE_ YOU _DOING?" _she shouted. Arthur whipped around as fast as he could with a guilty look on his face. He was covered in oil, dirt and his hair was standing on end, he also looked like he had been burned in a few places and was harboring a few cuts as well. Then he began to try to hide the bike with his body, obviously hoping that by some miracle Molly wouldn't see it.

"Well… I erm… I was just…" he gave up on trying to talk and just gave her a goofy smile to which she shook her head in exasperation.

"You look like the twins when they are trying to hide something they've done wrong," She told him with a stern glare. He just shuffled his feet nervously. Sighing deeply she walked over to him and brushed a piece of hair out of his face. He flinched as she brushed a cut and continued to examine him.

"Well, I suppose we should go visit the hospital, I can't heal most of these and burns are beyond me."

Arthur hung his head, he was glad that she didn't seem too angry, but the disapproving note of her voice was not missed by him. He also hated going to the hospital, it was unnaturally white and clean, and aside from that they were always poking things at you and waving their wands then shoving nasty tasting potions down your throat all day. He had been trying to work out a few of the things on the motorcycle and was planning to take it apart and perhaps add a few more charms to it but he had to admit to himself that he really had no idea what he had been doing and that the trip to the hospital he would soon be making was his own fault.

"I'll just go find someone to watch the children for a bit." Molly concluded and turned back to the kitchen, leaving Arthur alone with the bike and clutching the batteries in his hands.

Once at the St. Mungos, Arthur sat in with Molly in a small room in the hospital clothes in a scratchy gown and socks. He looked around for a minute and if he had to choose, one word to describe the room he was in it would be white. It was everywhere and if he stared at the wall in front of him for too long it would make his eyes watery. Why did the 

rooms always have to be so darn white? His eyes traveled across the wall and came to rest on his wife who was sitting in a chair by the door twisting her hands in her lap.

"Molly?" her head snapped up to face him.

"Hmm?"

"Why do they always have to paint the rooms this bright white color?" he asked, genuinely curious. "I mean they could at least add a bit of color to make it feel more comfortable and less… sterile."

"Mm… I don't know dear," she muttered distractedly, looking away towards the door. Arthur's brows knitted together, something had been bothering his wife since the moment they arrived. She had been glancing all about every few minutes as if expecting to see someone she knew, whom she wanted to avoid and wringing her hands together with a worried expression on her face.

"Molly?" he asked again.

"Hmm?"

"Molly, look at me." She turned her head to face him after a moment, but her eyes were still looking around the room, taking in every detail as though she had been bidden to memorize it before the doctors came in. "Dear, tell me what's wrong, I know that something has been bothering you ever since we got here, now please tell me what it is."

Sighing, she finally met his eyes, but continued to twist her hands in her lap. "I just can't but help to think of James." She said quietly then went back to looking around the room.

So that was it? She was thinking about James and no doubt, Lily had crossed her mind too. He supposed they would be spending the evening planning once again. It wasn't that he had a problem with the planning that his wife insisted on spending every waking moment going over; but he knew that it just wasn't going to happen as quickly as she'd like and they had nowhere to bring Harry.

There was no way that they could afford to buy another house to provide this training that Lily had spoken of and he was clueless as to where to find some good teachers. If they brought him to the Burrow, Albus was sure to find out and that would ruin everything and he knew that if James Potter ever woke up, he'd take Harry in a heartbeat and get him as far away from this whole mess as possible.

Arthur had to admit to himself that he didn't really want this responsibility between himself and Molly alone. It was already looking very difficult and there was just no way they could pull it off, not to mention that if James did wake and took Harry away… well he just didn't want Molly to get to attached to the child only to have him taken from her. 

After all, they had their own children to worry about and he couldn't let this whole situation take over. Sighing he decided he would have to sit down and talk to her about it.

Arthur had no doubt that they were doing the right thing in helping out the Potters with this issue, but they couldn't do it alone, that, he was certain of. Coming out of his musings he looked on as Molly's eyes came to rest on something just outside the window; he smiled as he had an idea.

"Would you like to go and check in on him while we're here?" he asked her. She turned to face him and thought about it for a minute before answering in the affirmative. "You know that you're doing the right thing don't you? Lily would be very pleased to know that you're doing your best to take care of Harry after your promise, and I'm sure James would be too." He smiled and took her hand just as the Healer walked in.

Once Arthur was all patched up, they headed to the main desk on that floor and asked where they could find James Potter.

The woman at the desk hardly spared them a glance as she quickly flipped through a couple pieces of paper and told them, in a bored voice, to "go to the third floor room 219."

They headed off in that direction and when they entered the room were slightly surprised to see Remus Lupin sitting in a chair next to James's bed with his head in his hands. As soon as he heard them enter, he straightened up and gave them as much of a smile as he could muster.

"Molly, Arthur," he acknowledged with a slight nod of his head. "How are you doing?"

"Hello, Remus," Molly responded, "How have you been?" She inquired in a slightly worried tone. The Weasley's didn't know Remus Lupin very well but they knew that he had been a very close friend of James and Lily and Lily's death had hit him hard. Aside from that his best friend, Sirius Black had been responsible for it and had wasted no time in killing Peter Pettigrew as well. He had been through so much in such a short amount of time, Molly had no idea how he could be here, sitting calmly in front of her at his best friends bedside. They all hoped that James would be okay soon. He was the only thing that Remus had left and Harry needed him. They all needed him if they planned to pull off this whole taking Harry away and hiding idea.

"I've been as well as can be expected. Under the circumstances," he said quietly.

Molly walked over a placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I understand, it's hard for all of us."

They sat in silence around James' bed for a bit until they heard a light knock on the door which opened a moment later to reveal the shimmering, midnight blue robes of Albus Dumbledore.

"Ah, I see James has many visitors at the moment, perhaps I shall return at a later time." He turned to go but Remus invited him to join them just before he walked out the door, insisting that they were only there for a quiet visit and that he wished to speak with the Headmaster.

Albus took a seat in one of the little burgundy chairs that were scattered about the room and eyed James sadly for a few minutes before turning to Remus, "I believe you said that you wished to speak to me?"

"Yes, I did," he took a moment to gather his thoughts then looked up into Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes, "Are you sure that you're doing the right thing Albus? I mean with Harry? I can't help but feel that we shouldn't leave him with those people. I know," he took a deep breath, "I know that Sirius was supposed to take him if anything ever happened to Lily and James, but since that's not an option, I don't see why I can't take him."

Albus' eye's had lost their twinkle, he had known that this was coming, and he had suspected that this was what Remus had wanted to talk about, but he hadn't expected him to do it in front of people. Maybe it was just for background support, to prove his point and try to help convince the Headmaster. Yes that must be it, besides, the Potter's had been very good friends with the Weasley's and it was common knowledge that they disagreed with his sending Harry to his Aunt and Uncle.

"It is… necessary," he said simply.

Immediately the group of three began to protest, holding up his hands for silence, he waited patiently for them all to calm down and let him get a word in. Finally, he spoke up, "Although I can understand your concern for young Harry, he must be placed with blood relatives. It is part of a complicated and very old piece of magic that Lily used when she gave her life for her son. He must be placed there for protection-"

"Protection from what?" Molly interrupted.

"A very good question, as you know there are still many of Voldemort's Death Eater's on the loose and until they are caught we must take every precaution to keep Harry safe. On a higher note," he paused, wanting to think through this for a moment before continuing, "now you must understand, you cannot share this information with anyone, I do not wish for the world to go on living in fear." He looked at them with raised eyebrows and they agreed, normally he wouldn't go on about this, but they were a part of the inner circle of the Order and now that the spy had been revealed, he could trust them all again. "I do not believe that Lord Voldemort is really gone."

There was a gasp that came from Molly, the other two men just sat in silence before Arthur opened his mouth, "What makes you think that Albus?"

Dumbledore's eye's regained some of their twinkle, "I have my suspicions, but I do not believe that Harry truly defeated him that night. He will return, I assure you, whether it is tomorrow, next year, or ten years from now, he will return, more powerful and stronger than ever."

The three adults exchanged worried looks and mulled over the large piece of information they had just been given. Voldemort wasn't really gone? He would come back worse than before? What were they going to do when that happened? But back to the problem at hand.

"But Albus, what about Harry?" Remus pestered, "You can't leave him there, no matter how long it is, I've met Petunia and she does not like magic! Her husband is even worse, I've never met him personally but Lily told me about him and James insisted that he wasn't a good man. You just can't leave him there! I won't let you!"

Dumbledore opened his mouth to respond but Molly beat him to it, "I don't understand, what is so horrible about these people? Why would Lily and James disagree with putting Harry there?" she asked Remus.

"Petunia and Vernon Dursley are horrible people. Petunia hated magic with her whole being, she was jealous of Lily, Lily was beautiful, smart, and talented and to top it all off she was a witch. Petunia hated her for that, she was too wrapped up in her jealously of Lily that she stopped living her life like she should. She spent all of her time being mad at her sister instead of trying to work hard herself and make do with what she had. Then she met her husband, I think she married him just to make her parents upset. They had loved James from the second he walked in the door, and when she brought home her boyfriend, they were less than pleased.

"I can only imagine that she's fed him all the same things that she's come to believe about our world. Telling him how horrible wizards are and all sorts of lies. James didn't like the man, he always tried to be polite and proper to Petunia, but she just brushed him off. He said that Vernon was a disgusting fat pig that only looked after himself. He said that he wouldn't trust him with anything that the man always treated him like shit. I can only imagine what he'll do to Harry, and that's not including Petunia, besides, I hear she has a son of her own now. They won't care about Harry; I'd be surprised if they haven't dumped him on a street corner by now. I don't trust those people with anything let alone James and Lily's son. I'm not letting you keep him there Albus."

Molly was shocked, she had known that Lily's sister wasn't the ideal person to place Harry with, but she had never imagined something like this. Oh dear, they were going to need to spend more time going over those plans.

She looked up to see Remus and Albus having a staring contest, she found it slightly amusing to see Remus Lupin glaring at the Headmaster and threatening to take him on in all seriousness. But his statement had really struck a chord with her, how could anyone be so heartless? And to do that to a little baby like that. Well, she could think of one person who could care less about killing a child, but that was a bit beside the point. So, Remus was against Dumbledore's plan for Harry as well? Interesting… Perhaps the Potter's had dropped hints to him about their distrust in the Headmaster and in how they wanted Harry to be raised.

But then again maybe not, after all Lily had said that normally they would have gone to Sirius, Remus and Peter with this information, but as there was an unknown spy in the Order, they couldn't risk the information of the prophecy getting out and they most certainly didn't want their plans for Harrys' future to reach Albus.

But now that the spy had been revealed, and it was not Remus Lupin, perhaps she could inform him of his best friends hopes for his son. After all, he did agree with them on getting Harry away from his aunt and uncle and they could use all of the help that they could get… maybe he would know some teachers as well? Yes, she'd have to invite him over for tea and they could discuss it.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore was busy explaining yet again, why exactly, Harry had been placed with the Dursley's. "That is my final word," he stated before bidding them goodbye and leaving the room.

As soon as Dumbledore left, Molly jumped at the opportunity to invite Remus over for tea that afternoon, saying that she wished to discuss something with him and it was best done in private. Arthur shot her a knowing look before they too rose to leave. Just before they walked out of the door though, Molly waved her wand, conjured a large lily flower, and set it on James bedside table. She knew it wouldn't last more than a few days at most, but it was the thought that counted.

Molly, Arthur, and Remus sat around the kitchen table at the Burrow, talking over the happenings of the past week and how everyone had been holding up. Finally, they got around to the important part, the main reason Molly invited Remus over this afternoon.

"So, we know that Albus is not going to take Harry away from his relatives unless James wakes up, so tell us, Remus, what are you planning on doing to get Harry away from there?" Molly asked him.

"Well, I don't really know. I have no plan of action and I haven't given it much thought, but I do know that both James and Lily would not be pleased with Harry's placement."

"We thought as much, so what would you say if we told you that _we did_ have a plan of action?"

His head shot up to look at her and his eyebrows knitted together, "What do you mean you have a plan?"

Molly smiled, "Well Remus, first I need your word that you will not share this information with anyone else, is that understood?"

"If you're talking about Dumbledore then there's no need to worry. I meant what I said about leaving Harry there, I just have no way to pull off something like that. I give you my word."

"Good. You see Remus, both Lily and James came up with a little plan of their own, incase anything ever happened to them, they wanted to make sure that Harry was taken care of the way they wanted him to be, especially after they learned some information from Albus and they lost their trust in him."

Remus' eyebrows were still furrowed, he was trying to work this out, "But, if they had a plan, then… why didn't they tell me about it? I would have helped!" Molly and Arthur shared an uneasy glace and suddenly Remus understood. "They thought I was the spy."

Once Remus got past his friends' mistrust in him, the Weasley's began to explain everything that Lily and Molly had gone over in the past few months and told Remus about the prophecy. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. He was speechless and it took him around 15 minutes just to speak again.

"So- so that's the reason for it all then huh? The _Fidelius_, the secrecy, the paranoia, and the reason that you were over so much more often, it all makes sense now." He mused, more to himself than the other two in the room. Finally, he looked up at them, "So you guys have got this all planned out?"

"Well, not exactly. We only got so far before…"

"I understand, but I imagine that you got quite a bit worked out?"

"Yes, we did. Lily told me all of the basic stuff, we just need to work out the fine details and find a place to do it all."

Remus smiled, "Well, if James ever wakes up I'm sure he'll know of a couple places, I imagine he's got even more information in his head that you and Lily just didn't get a chance to go over."

"Yes I'm sure that he does, but we'll have to wait and see how things go with him, for now."

Remus small smile quickly faded, "Yes I suppose that we will."

* * *

It was a cold morning in late November forty-two months had gone by and most of the Healers at St. Mungos had lost faith in James' recovery. He wasn't responding to anything that they were doing and they were out of ideas. Everyone thought that he was a lost cause, but Remus refused to give up on his best friend. He was determined to find a way to help him, just as James had once helped him so many years ago. Day after day and week after week, Remus came faithfully, to visit his friend, and week after week he would ask the Healer the same question: "Is there anything that we can do?" and week after week he'd get the same response.

"Using magic would be too much of a risk, if his body is not ready to wake up, it could have severe consequences. There is nothing that we can do but hope, I'm sorry."

He had really begun to accept this as his answer and before long; he too began to give up hope that James would ever recover. So today when he walked into the hospital, he walked over to the Healer and she patiently waited for him to ask his question, and then gave him the same response that she had every week for the past three years. He walked into James room, called out a greeting as he threw his jacket over the back of a chair, then plopped down in the vacant seat next to the bed.

"Well James, I can't say that much has been going on the past week, Molly and Arthur and continuing the plans, like always, next week is the full moon so I may not be able to come by like I usually do. Other than that there's not much going on."

He stared at the bed for a few minutes; he really missed having James around. He liked to talk to him and tell him the recent news, even though he knew that he probably couldn't hear him. Coming for these visits always made him a little sad, but he wouldn't stop and he wouldn't give up hope, at least not completely.

"I miss you Prongs… we all miss you… and Harry, he needs you. I know what he has to do and I know that Dumbledore says Voldemort isn't really gone," Remus was one of the few who would say the name Voldemort, almost everyone else besides Lily, James, Albus and Sirius had called him 'You-Know-Who.' "But we all need you and we don't know where to go from here. There was only so much information that you guys gave to Molly and I'm afraid we're stuck. Wake up James, come on, you know that you can, you need to wake up, it's time."

When James didn't respond Remus sighed and sat back in the chair then shot James an irritated look. He was about to go get a cup of water when he suddenly turned back to his unconscious friend. "It couldn't be," he murmured. Remus could have sworn that he saw James' fingers twitch, ever so slightly. He stared for a minute hoping that he hadn't been imagining it, which was very possible since he spent so much time here wishing and hoping that everything would be okay. When James didn't move again he dismissed it as an illusion, walked out to a drinking fountain in the hall, and got a quick drink then went back to James' bedside for a few more minutes and went home.

Nearly two weeks later, when Remus came in to visit James, he was surprised to find several Healers rushing in and out of the room. Confused, he pulled a healer over to the side and asked what was going on.

"Last week, when we came in to run a few monthly tests on him and change the bed sheets the test came up different. Mr. Lupin it would appear that your prayers are being answered at last, Mr. Potter seems to be waking up." She told him before rushing out of the room carrying an empty potion bottle.

Remus stood in his corner, dumbfounded. Could James really be waking up? He smiled, it was supposed to be impossible, after all, he had been coming here every week for three years and people had given up, what happened? He supposed it didn't really matter; all that did was that James was finally coming to.

He walked over to his customary seat next to the bed and watched several Healers come and go, all waving their wands over James in some manner or shoving a potion down his throat before leaving again.

"James, can you hear me?" he asked eagerly, "I err… don't know what to say except that I'm glad that you're finally coming back. How you did it, I have no idea, but then you always did have a strange way of getting yourself out of tough situations, particularly when you were in trouble with McGonagall." He laughed. "We all need you back now so hurry and wake up, we have a lot to tell you and we need your help. So wake up soon okay?" He smiled down at the bed. What he saw next made his heart skip a beat, for the briefest moment, he saw James' hazel eye's flicker open and shut. If he had blinked he would have missed it, but he caught it and it made his spirits soar. He stayed there for the rest of the day until the Healers kicked him out and told him that they would need him to be alone tomorrow so they could work on him and try to speed up the process now that it wouldn't harm his body or brain. Reluctantly, he agreed and left, after which he rushed over to the Burrow and told them the good news.

"Oh that's wonderful Remus!" Molly beamed at him. "Did they tell you how long they expect him to be out before he finally wakes up?"

"No, they didn't give me a time frame, they were all pretty busy. Everyone was going in and out, waving their wands, or shoving potions into him." He laughed, "James always hated potion, thought they tasted awful and now he's getting so many a day I'm surprised that he hasn't woken up yelling at everyone to get away. That's something we could have tried, just brought in all of our most disgusting tasting potions and sees which one he reacted to. He'd have been up in a heartbeat," he joked.

Molly smiled at him, it had been quite a while since she had seen him happy and never had he been this happy to her knowledge. The past few years had been hard on him; he'd lost everything and always had trouble holding a job. Of course, he had told them about his werewolf problem not long after they had included him on their planning for Harry. Merlin, it seemed so long ago.

"My, it's been quite a day for us all hasn't it?" Arthur said, looking around at the two of them. "Shall we inform Albus or do you think any of the Healers have thought to contact him?"

"I'll Floo him when I get to the house, just in case. He has the right to know and personally I'm curious to see his reaction." Remus replied.

They chatted a bit more and made plans to go visit James in a few days then Remus left to go home. Right after he walked in the door, he headed straight for the fireplace and called Dumbledore. He saw the old man leaning over his desk, scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment.

"Hello Albus," he grinned.

"Ah, what a pleasant surprise, Remus, although I must admit it is not entirely unexpected." His blue eyes were twinkling madly, "How are you?"

Remus grinned widened. "I'm doing wonderful, thank you Albus, I assume that you heard the news of James?"

"Yes, I have a friend who works at the Hospital and asked him to inform me of any progress made on James's part. I was… shocked, but not completely surprised, after all, young Mr. Potter did have a way of getting himself out of difficult circumstances on occasion."

Remus laughed. "That's exactly what I said. Well, I wanted to be sure that you knew, it's getting late and I'd best be going."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, it is getting quite late; I shall speak to you again soon then, Remus. Goodnight."

Remus smiled at him, "Same to you." Then Remus' face disappeared from the fireplace.

One week later, the Weasley's and Remus made their way through St. Mungos to room 219. Just as they were about to enter, the room Arthur held Molly back and gestured for Remus to go in first.

"Just in case he's awake," he said. "I thought you might want to see him first."

Smiling gratefully, Remus braced himself, took a deep breath, and walked in. Tensing up slightly as he closed off the rest of the world when he shut the door, he slowly turned around and heaved a sigh of relief. James was sleeping. It wasn't that he didn't want to see finally have more than a one-sided conversation with his friend after so long, it was just… what does one say to the other after three years of being unconscious? "Hey mate! Glad you finally decided to wake up, so three years ago Voldemort came to your house and knocked you out cold, cursed your son and killed your wife." Somehow, he didn't think that would go down too well. Oh no! What if he asked about Lily? What should he tell him? The Healers said that if anything to traumatic happened within the few days, after he woke up he could slip back into the coma and possibly never wake up. Maybe he could lie, but he was a terrible liar and James would see through it in an instant. Bugger, this was going to be harder than he thought.

Walking over, he took his usual seat and thought of something to say. "Hello James," he began awkwardly. "Well, I've been waiting all this time for you to wake up and now that you have, well I have no idea what to say."

He stopped and just stared at the sleeping form on the bed for a few minutes.

"Wow, I really can't believe that you're really going to be okay. Everyone had lost faith that you would wake up, and now look. I really don't know what to do."

"Love me, feed me, never leave me." Came a muffled reply.

Remus' head shot up at the sound of those words, a crooked grin began to spread across his face, and he saw James' hazel eyes open for the first time in three years. Then he began to laugh and James smiled at him.

"Trust you to make a joke the first time you talk to me in over three years!" he told his friend and got up to give a friendly hug.

"Well now, we can't have you hugging everyone either! What happened, you never give hugs? Not that I'm complaining…" James laughed

Remus pulled back, his eyes filling with unshed tears. "It's just so good to see you Prongs."

"It's good to see you too Moony, although that's not saying much since last I remember I saw you about a week ago in Godrics Hollow and I hear you've been coming to see me every week?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

Remus laughed again. "Yeah, I have. We've all really missed you James."

"Yeah… they tell me it's been three years…" He said with a sigh.

Giving his friend a sympathetic look, Remus placed a comforting hand on James' shoulder. "Yes it has."

"It's hard to believe. Sure doesn't seem like it."

Remus almost snorted. "For you maybe."

James looked at him with a small smile. "So what's been going on out there Moony? No one will give me any news. I have to admit it's driving me crazy."

Remus froze, what was he supposed to tell him? "Err…"

"Oh, not you too! C'mon what's going on out there? I've been stuck here for so long and you're my only visitor. What's everyone been doing? How are Lily and Harry?"

Hesitating, he finally came up with, "What do you remember that night James?"

He watched as his friend's expression grew thoughtful. "Not much, I remember having you, Padfoot and Wormtail over, but Wormtail didn't show. Where are they by the way? Then, we were picking up Harrys' toys and…" Remus closed his eyes as he saw James's grow wide and a look of horror cross his face. So he remembered.

"What happened Moony? WHERE ARE THEY?"

"James, you need to calm down, the Healers said to take it easy. We don't want you slipping back into a coma."

"CALM DOWN? TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED! Please," he begged.

There was a pause. "James I…I don't know what to say." Remus was really hoping for Molly or one of the Healers to come in soon.

James drew a shaky breath. "They're dead aren't they?"

Remus couldn't tell him, all he could do was stare into the broken-hearted eyes of his best friend as both of their eyes filled with tears. He watched as James broke down in front of him and knew that a part of his friend had just died along with his beloved wife. Lily had been everything to him and now… now she was gone. Remus placed a comforting hand on James' shoulder as his own eyes filled with tears and they both sat in the small room, crying for all the loved ones they had lost, for friends, families torn apart, and everything everyone had been through in recent years.

Remus had tried very hard not to dwell on the past and move on, but sitting here with James brought up old memories he had tried to forget. He had never really grieved properly for all that had happened in the past few years. He knew it would come, but he had tried to put it off for as long as possible. He wasn't really sure why, but he had always had a bad habit of retreating into himself and storing away all his emotions, that is, until he met James, Sirius and Peter. They always had a way of calming him and helping him to deal with all the problems in his life, and when they had all suddenly been torn from his life, Remus resorted to his old ways. Being here, in the bright white hospital room with his long lost friend of so long opened the floodgates once more.

Looking up into James' tear-stained face he choked out his confession. "L-Lily's gone."

Just when Remus thought it couldn't get any worse, a look of pure pain and sorrow crossed James features, his worst fears had just been confirmed.

"But… But H-Harry is still alive." He added.

James head snapped up and stared at him with wide-eyes. "He's alive?" James breathed.

A slight smile spread on Remus prematurely lined face. "Yes."

James just stared at him for a full minute. Then, slowly, a small smile made its way through the tears and James launched himself at his friend, throwing his arms around him in a hug.

"That's very good news Moony!" James glanced around the room. "Where is he?"

"Umm…"

"Moony," he said in a warning tone.

"He's a… um… Albus sent him to the Dursley's."

"WHAT?"

"CALM DOWN JAMES!" Remus yelled at him, just as the door burst open and Molly and Arthur Weasley came in followed by a Healer who spared a quick glare in Remus direction.

"_What _is going on in here?" Molly questioned.

"What is my son doing with those… those… _people?_" James spat.

"Calm down Mr. Potter." The Healer scolded.

"I will NOT calm down! I want to see my son! Get him out of that place! Where's Dumbledore? Lily and I left specific orders to _never_ leave him with those people no matter what! Why isn't he with Sirius?"

"MR. POTTER!" The Healer glared at him.

"WHAT?"

"_Calm down!_"

If looks could kill, that Healer would be dead before she hit the floor, but James managed to take a few deep breathes and calm himself a bit before turning to Remus and the Weasley's with a look that demanded an answer.

Remus shot a nervous glance at the Healer. "We're taking care of what you asked us to do, but we need your help." He stated vaguely.

They could still tell that James was annoyed, but he seemed slightly comforted that they hadn't simply ignored his and Lily's request. Then a look of confusion crossed his features.

"Where's Padfoot?" James asked, looking around again.

His eyes came back to rest on the occupants of the room just as the Healer left, having finished her duties, and saw them shuffling nervously, determinedly studying the white-wash walls.

"Moony? Where's Padfoot?" Came his warning tone.

"James, there's something I need to tell you."

_A/N: so as i said above, review responses are on my profile, ch. 3 will be up as soon as it goes through the beta's! I'm putting up an add for you all. I've already got 2 great beta's who do their job wonderfully, i can't help but think one more person would be a great help. I had my aunt, who is a writer for the newspaper look over this and she gave me a few suggestions: make James character a little stronger and tighten up some things. I suppose i'll have to revise and fix a few things later ya? So if anyone is good at characterization to the detail and things like that, and you just happen to have some free time, or even if you can recommend anyone, that would be greatly appreciated! I'll be taking a writing course at college in the fall, but that's not till fall so until then you all get to put up with my amature writing skills. :) _

_M_


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